The work on the Cabinet War Rooms began in June 1938 on adapting these humble storage areas, ten feet below ground, to house the central core of government and a unique military information centre. The events of the Munich crisis in the early autumn speeded up the process. Seen by most planners as temporary, the rooms were constructed under the watchful eye of Major-General Sir Hastings Ismay, assisted by Major Sir Leslie Hollis, and became fully operational on 27 August 1939, exactly a week before the German invasion of Poland and Britain’s declaration of war. This ‘temporary’ measure was to serve as the central shelter for government and the military strategists for the next six years. With the surrender of the Japanese forces in August 1945, the rooms were no longer needed, and on 16 August 1945 the lights in the Central Map Room were switched off and the door was locked. The complex was left intact and undisturbed until an announcement by Parliament in 1948 ensured its preservation as a historic site. The Churchill Museum, housed within the Cabinet War Rooms, uses cutting-edge technology and multimedia displays to bring the exciting story of Winston Churchill to life. From Churchill’s childhood to his ‘finest hour’ and later years, visitors not only learn more about his political exploits but also his private life, successes and failures.
Museum: Churchill Museum and Cabinet War RoomsCity: London
Country: United Kingdom
Address: King Charles Street
Website: http://www.iwm.org.uk